Method of altering blood sugar levels using non-transformed human pancreatic cells that have been expanded in culture

摘要

The present invention provides a method for producing an expanded non- transformed cell culture comprising the steps of: (1) preparing partially purified, minced tissue; (2) concentrating the resulting cells and tissue pieces; (3) resuspending the concentrated tissue cells and pieces in a culture medium capable of supporting sustained cell division that is contained in a culture vessel; (4) incubating the cells; and (5) passaging the cells periodically. The present invention further provides clonal strains of cells derived from the above-mentioned cell culture, medium and conditioned medium designed for the culturing of such cells, including pancreatic, thyroid, parathyroid, and parotid cells, and the use of cultured pancreatic cells to form pancreatic pseudotissues composed of matrix-embedded aggregated (pseudoislets) or individual cells, to treat blood sugar disorders in mammals, and to test for cytotoxicity and autoimmune activities with reference to pancreatic endocrine cells.